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Definition of acanthodian in English:

acanthodian

noun

A small spiny-finned fossil fish of a group found chiefly in the Devonian period.

‘Many acanthodians bore teeth directly on the Meckelian cartilage, which was ossified in most cases (like placoderms), but may have remained cartilaginous in others (like sharks).’

‘However, I also examined some other problematical specimens from the Early Devonian of Canada, first described as belonging to acanthodian fishes (named Doliodus), and discovered that they were really sharks' teeth as well.’

‘But the play of light and color, the universe of vision is for others - foolish, energy-wasting acanthodians and lungfish, easily confused and misled in the dim, murky bottomland.’

‘Cheirolepis, and even acanthodians, clearly have them.’

‘Some layers were quite rich in small fish remains, like the interesting double-pronged sharks' teeth and the fin-spines of acanthodian fishes.’

‘A few acanthodians also lingered into the Cisuralian.’

‘The acanthodian Mesacanthus shows this relationship well.’

‘In addition, it has several features, such as the fin spines and characters of the shoulder plate, which are associated with placoderms, chondrichthyans, or acanthodians.’

‘Gill rakers are found in both chondrichthyans and in Osteichthyes, as well as acanthodians.’

‘The majority of fossils recovered from the site are acanthodian fish belonging to Mesacanthus and Ischnacanthus with occasional Euthacanthus, Parexus and Climatius.’

‘But the treasure I did find was in the form of a beautifully preserved large set of fossil fish jaws belonging to an acanthodian.’

‘In addition, there are archaic elements, such as the antiarch and arthrodire placoderms as well as acanthodians.’

‘Both blocks are free of plant remains, but the specimen from the fish bed lithology is preserved in proximity to a fish coprolite containing scales and spines of acanthodian fish.’

‘As we have mentioned, it is likely that the opercular is serially homologous with the branchiostegal rays and that both began as a series of dermal opercular scales as is observed in some acanthodians.’

‘The first jawed fish in the fossil record are the acanthodians, which first occur in the Late Silurian.’

‘It has been reported, based on as-yet unpublished data, that the acanthodian Diplacanthus solidus is indicative of Eifelian age.’

‘Other fish found in the adjacent sandstone beds are the acanthodian Diplacanthus Agassiz, 1844, the dipnoan Fleurantia Graham-Smith and Westoll, 1937, and the sarcopterygian Eusthenopteron Whiteaves, 1881.’

‘The acanthodian Acanthodes, the palaeoniscoid Platysomus, and the fusiform palaeoniscoids are represented by small’